Data centers are facilities that are often utilized to house various types of computer systems, servers, and other electronic equipment. Additionally, data centers typically include backup power supplies, redundant data communications connections, security devices, and environmental controls. Such environmental controls include air conditioning and fire protection and prevention systems. In a common configuration, data centers include cabinets which have servers or other electronic equipment mounted in rows within in the cabinet. The processors and other hardware contained within the servers or other electronic equipment typically generate significant amounts of heat. Generally speaking, the maximum allowed temperature range for a server in a data center is typically 59 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit, however, the recommended temperature is typically between 68 and 77 degrees Fahrenheit. If the temperature and/or other environmental conditions are not effectively controlled to reside within the recommended ranges, the processors and other hardware contained in the servers or other electronic equipment can malfunction or be otherwise rendered inoperable.
Since storage space for storing such hardware is expensive and limited, servers are often densely packed in the cabinets to maximize efficient usage of limited space. However, this further contributes to creating unfavorable environmental conditions since dense packing generates more heat. Currently, various solutions for cooling the servers exist in today's market. However, the majority of these solutions entail having to utilize a significant number of fans to generate a constant air flow across the servers and other electronic equipment to keep temperatures in a desired range. Such fans often require significant amounts of power to continuously run and are often susceptible to being unreliable.
Other solutions involve utilizing a raised floor system to channel cool air underneath the front-ends of the cabinets. Once the air is heated as it flows across the electronic equipment, the hot air escapes through a vented back door of the cabinet. The hot air is then guided to plenums or other similar devices in the ceiling, which then feed the hot air to devices which cool the hot air. As the performance of microprocessors continues to increase and as the need for more and more servers and other electronic equipment increase, the effective controlling of environmental conditions effecting such hardware becomes even more critical.